Beck wrote three songs for upcoming Playstation game 'Sound Shapes.' It's only one way the alt-rock survivor continues to defy music-release orthodoxy lately

Beck is contributing three new original songs to the music-oriented video game Sound Shapes, an announcement today that fits in perfectly with Beck’s recent release habits. Three full-length, unreleased tracks from the shape-shifting Los Angeles singer, rapper, and songwriter, titled “Cities,” “Touch the People,” and “Spiral Staircase,” will appear as interactive levels of the game. Due out on August 7 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, the title also includes playable original music by electronic producer Deadmau5, singer-songwriter Jim Guthrie, and indietronica artist I Am Robot and Proud. Read our early take on the game here.

As the Beastie Boys sampling lawsuit filed on the eve Adam “MCA” Yauch’s passing underscored, they don’t make albums like Paul’s Boutique or Odelay anymore — not just because of the passing of time, but because copyright law has made all that brilliantly inventive sampling virtually impossible. Why, then, should Beck feel pressured to come up with a new album, which would only inevitably be compared against his past work, when he can creatively follow his muse through all these various one-off projects? Beck’s post-Interscope discography brings to mind the wandering catalog of Damon Albarn, who has released a bounty of music over the years to rival that of his influence David Bowie, but without the benefit of a single brand name. Except rather than putting out albums under various monikers, Beck is still Beck — he just isn’t putting out albums at all.

Well, that’s not quite true. Beck’s reps have said his White team-up came about “while Beck was in Nashville working on new material for his long-awaited next album.” So there’s hope. In the meantime, here’s another cover, of Woody Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home in This World Anymore.” The ramshackle mid-’90s live recording appeared on Beck’s website yesterday in honor of what would have been Guthrie’s 100th birthday, which took place over the weekend. This machine might not kill fascists, but it can still push the music industry forward.